Call Of Duty Modern Warfare - Spartan
by Alignak
Summary: This is the story of Modern Warfare / Mobilized [DS] version, and of US Marine Sergeant Zachary Parker. He served in missions against Venezuelan mercenaries, Russians, and Al-Qaeda. Soon after his missions in the Middle East and Southern Russia, he was promoted to Sergeant. He is still in duty even now.
1. Prelude

Washington, USA, 18:30.

"_And less than 24 hours since Al-Asad's regime came to an end, a new conflict is now coming to light. Our forces have been deployed, but exact time and placement of US Special Forces has been withheld for security reasons. In other, unrelated news, reports have come of Russian ultra-nationalists trying to restore the old Communist regime. It unknown whether British involvement is needed in this moment of time." _


	2. First To Fight

Afghanistan, 14:30pm, US forward operating base 'Spartan'

The air seemed cooler than outside in the Captain's office, partly due to the fact there was an air conditioning system. In one corner, an American flag, the stars and stripes, was wrapped around a simple wooden pole. In front of it stood a mahogany computer desk. Directly opposite the desk was a door leading out down a passage.

Zachary Parker, an American from Wisconsin of 29, had been called back into action following the horrific events of bombings last week. The situation was obviously becoming out of control, and more Marines from both American and Canadian forces.

He had not heard anything regarding Alaskan special forces, or the Brits. He had served in several missions before this in the Middle East and the Gulf, and also in Norway.

He was German on his mother's side, and fourth generation American on his father's. He had been the captain of the hockey team in middle and high school, and had also served in Milwaukee Army Cadet Corps. He had joined the US Marines at the age of 19, and had been excepted.

In front of him stood Captain Wojick, an marine in his late thirties. He spoke with an authoritative voice. Parker had served under Wojick in several other missions. He seemed pleased to have Parker serving him once again.

"Parker, about time. Intelligence reports indicate operations near here. Hostile activity is expected to reach our doorstep within an hour. So we need you battle-ready, and fast. Weapons and explosives training is set up ahead. Once you're done, report back here for deployment orders. Move up, soldier." He said. Parker saluted, about turned, and walked into the afternoon light.

* * *

The sound of a Helo's rotors passed overhead. He took a left down a path, nodding to several random Marines as he passed, and reported to Sergeant Hichborn.

The sergeant governed the firing range. There stood another Marine named Private Dravinski, who had his M16 aimed downrange. Parker approached the Sergeant, who looked unfamiliar.

"Grab the M16. Let's see what you can do." Hichborn said. His voice seemed strangely quiet for a sergeant. Zach glanced at a table nearby and saw the M16. He was quiet familiar with the weapon, despite being used to handguns more.

He picked it up, feeling the weight. He walked to the designated firing area, and looked downrange. An old, ruined building. He knew the drill: all of this was bringing back memories. Sergeant Hichborn started speaking again. "Go to any station and aim your weapon downrange. Hit the four targets."

Four white targets popped up simultaneously, and the staccato sound of gunfire filled the zone. Parker realized that his arms were filled with adrenaline. "Nice work." Hichborn said, watching the targets drop. More targets popped up and Parker again took them out.

"Great." said the sergeant, seeming pleased. Parker snapped a fresh clip into the steaming M16 and took out four more targets with deadly accuracy. "Good job! Move onto grenade training. Take the grenades from the rack. Return for more if you need them." said Hichborn.

Parker picked up 5 frag grenades, feeling their weight. Dravinski had gone. Parker returned to his post, and threw a grenade, pulling the pin out as he did so.

He heard the clink clink clink of the grenade bouncing along the floor of the ruined building. Silence followed, shattered then by a _boom_ as the grenade exploded. He saw Hichborn nod and then say, "Report to Sergeant Vance for demolitions training. You're done here, Corporal."

Parker followed the signs to the demolitions training complex, noticing in the distance a tower. He guessed it must be a comms tower, in part of the base they were in.

_Spartan._

He entered the coolness of the demolitions complex, where he reported to Sergeant Vance. "Now, we're gonna work on placing and disarming explosives. Move onto the table to the left to arm the bomb."

Parker had not done this yet. Most of the conflicts he had served in had not needed explosives. Or if they did, then demolition experts were recruited into the team. He knew this meant things were serious.

He saw what appeared to be a bomb on the table, and set to work on it, connecting its circuits. It took concentration as he connected every circuit. He typed in the code 2826 and the bomb was armed. He stepped back.

"Great. Step up to the disarming station behind you and disarm that bomb." He moved to the other bomb which was active. He unscrewed the cover, traced along the circuits and disrupted them, disarming the bomb itself. "That's it! Now head outside and Sergeant Newman will show you how to call in airstrikes." Sergeant Vance said. He was closing up shop.

Parker left the building and walked down a ramp, at the end of which stood Sergeant Newman. "You ready to take out some metal? Use these binoculars to paint the T72 downrange. Call in an airstrike when the targeting cursor turns green." Parker looked through the binoculars, at the shadow of a decommissioned tank.

_He was about to press the targeting laser when he caught a glimpse of something in the dusty air behind the tank. _

He pressed the laser, painting the tank, and a F22 Raptor flew overhead, dropping two missiles on the tanks. The sound of the explosion came from all around him. Something in the air had changed. Sirens then sounded.

Newman froze, and then said "We're under attack!" gunfire erupted and before Newman could seize the M16 on the wall, he was cut down by a wound to the chest. Parker went to catch the body but instantly jumped back as bullets peppered the wall in front of him.

He could tell by the sound and rate of fire that the assailants were using AK-47's. "Get to the motor pool! To the motor pool now!" Sergeant Vance yelled. Parker breathed in, and then forward rolled away from his hiding place and raised his rifle.

A Taliban OpFor soldier stood across the way, clad in a green uniform and red beret. He pulled the trigger, taking him down, and heading into the mess hall.

Private Gant was at the other end, crouched behind a table with a scoped M16. Parker had no time to shout a warning as a hostile came around the corner and smashed the butt of his AK into the private's skull. The OpFor soldier hadn't noticed Parker, who now stood behind the wall.

His rage was rising and then falling, at the nature of the hostile's attack and their purely violent strategy. As the OpFor Taliban ran past, he took him down the butt of his M16.

Private Schwalk was outside, under heavy fire. Parker fired four rounds into an OpFor's head, sending him down. He called to Schwalk and ran towards the motor pool, but Schwalk was staying behind to warn survivors. It was complete chaos. Communications had been knocked out, and the base had been swarmed from the northeast end.

Parker jogged into the building, down a corridor, and turned. One single Humvee was there: the assailants had not yet neared here. Parker walked over to a laptop which appeared to be on, but it had frozen. He cursed, and turned as Schwalk entered, reloading.

"They've been slowed down by Hichborn and Cantarutti. I don't think there are any other survivors in this quadrant. Man...Vance is dead-" it was obvious Schwalk was not used to these situations. "Soldier. Soldier! Listen, we need to get out of here." Schwalk continued. "Wojick got out on the western side with some others, but everything is to hell! They had RPG's to take out the air craft. Who supplied them with this man? Why did they do it?"

Parker paused. He didn't know. He didn't have the answers. "Private, drive this vehicle. I'm in as gunner. We're taking the fight to them." He said, determined.


	3. Exodus

_Exodus. Freedom. Wings._

The shutters lifted and the blinding sunlight filtered in. Schwalk put his foot down and with a screech of tires, they left the motor pool. Parker prepped the 50 cal. for action, and then looked over his shoulder. He saw massive pillars of smoke shadowing Spartan base, and picked up the sounds of gunfire and grenades. The stars and stripes of his homeland snapped in a faint breeze.

As long as it flew, there was a cause.

* * *

_Unnamed Middle Eastern Village, 15:03. _

They had met up with a convoy from the base known as 'Delta', which had also been attacked. They were radioed by Command to rendezvous at Point Sierra, in a village many klicks away from Delta. They had lost the lead Humvee in the collision incident. The transport had gone down a different route and their Humvee had been cut off in an ambush.

An enemy Helo, an Mi-24, had attacked but they had shot its rotors and brought it down into the had received a static message, asking for reinforcements. "Alpha-17, we're just north of your position. We need support."  
"Roger that!" said Schwalk.

The Humvee drove into the depot of Masraf, coming in through the north and driving through opposition. As the Humvee slid to a halt, Parker jumped out and slung his M16 into his hands, bidding Schwalk farewell. The objective was still to be met: rendezvous at Point Sierra.

Major Livingstone and Colonel Purcell were firing on an OpFor emplacement, ducking back into cover only to reload. The sun was subdued by clouds of smoke. Livingstone was cut down, and before Purcell could call for medics, he was injured.

Parker hid behind a pillar, trying to get a decent aim. He saw a shadow on a roof and raised his rifle, killing the Afghan who stood there. The 50 Cal. emplacement fell deadly silent. Parker looked around. Purcell was reloading his M16. They both made their way through a shattered wooden gate, and Parker shot an OpFor soldier through the chest with his Desert Eagle.

They waited by the open door of a bed store, and then they both ran in, firing M16's. A bed overturned and several OpFor soldier's fell under fire. Purcell walked for the door at the end. It was then Parker heard an Afghan yell "American Marine!" he whipped around and fired threw rounds into the Afghan who stood there. The body fell backward down the steps.

Parker realized his M16 was jammed and so he tossed it aside and picked up the AK-47, checking its clip. _The Afghan never had a chance to fire._ He wondered at where Purcell could have got to, and he heard a side door slam shut. He tried to open it, but it was broken on the other side.

He dropped down into an alleyway full of litter, and saw Sergeant Alexander under fire. Parker crouched behind a skip and took one of the Afghan's out. The other was eliminated by Alexander. "These alleyways are crawling with hostiles. Watch your corners and stay sharp." The sergeant said over his shoulder.

"Do you know what happened to Colonel Purcell?" Parker asked, but Alexander shook his head. "I was in with Delta, not Broadsword." They both sprinted across an abandoned street into a room where mattresses had been piled on the floor. Realizing, they jumped for cover. They eliminated the insurgents within the room and Sergeant Alexander said, "Follow me."

He kicked open a door only to have to jump back. An emplacement was across the other side. A US chopper passed overhead, its 50 Cal. blazing, and the emplacement fell silent. Alexander followed Parker down the street. Parker stopped dead at a corner, realizing there were balconies on the buildings above. His eyes narrowed as he observed them.

He pulled out a flashbang and threw it. Seconds past, and a low _pop _was heard. Both Marines jumped around the corner and shot. One Afghan fell from the balcony, clutching his leg, while the other two fell where they stood, blinded by the flashbang. They walked down the street, not hearing a single thing.

Suddenly, Alexander grabbed Parker and pulled him back. "Wait." He warned. Parker looked over the edge of the skip to see a group of OpFor soldiers. Among them was Purcell, without his helmet and weapons. They were mocking him and their tones seemed accusing and almost sarcastic. "They are going to execute him." Alexander said.

Parker froze. This was something he was quite unfamiliar with. "Get ready..." Alexander whispered, his finger going to the trigger. Suddenly, he lowered the rifle. "You have any flashbangs left?" He said. The OpFor soldiers sent Purcell to his hands and knees, and then kicked him. Parker nodded. It was his last flashbang.

He pulled it out, and Alexander said, "Throw it as hard as you can across the courtyard. Use it as a distraction." Parker tossed the flashbang and it hit a roof at the other side of the courtyard and clink-clink-clinked down it. Several of the OpFor soldiers turned, distracted.

_Clink...clink...clinkclink...pop._

Parker and Alexander jumped over the skip and opened fire with their rifles. One after another, the Afghans fell around Purcell, either too blind or too slow to defend themselves. Purcell got back up, about to thank Alexander when the sound of an emplacement rang out. Purcell fell dead to the floor and Alexander punched the wall, swearing. Parker froze, looking at the floor.

The emplacement had fallen silent. Finally, Alexander said, "Come on, this way." They entered a large room, in time to see a corporal fall dead to the floor. US Marines were taking cover behind overturned chesterfields, reloading. They were on the first floor of a bar. Out on the courtyard and opposing buildings were a horde of OpFor soldiers. Several dead Marines lay in the centre. _Another execution._

Sergeant Cooper took point and said "Enemy reinforcements en rout. Pick up Valeri's Dragunov, and take them out." Parker threw the AK-47 down, picked up the Dragunov and threw himself behind a pile of debris as gunfire shattered the windows. He heard insults from the OpFor operatives below, but didn't give in to the temptation.

AK gunfire broke out, which was answered by Cooper's M16. Parker looked through the scope of his Dragunov as the enemy were distracted, and killed three. He ran into the next corridor were Sergeant Marino was blasting the OpFor assailants with a Carbine. Empty bullet casings bounced along the floor and debris chipped from the walls.

Parker zoomed in on an unwary OpFor soldier, and said "Dead in my sights." The crosshair was on the Afghan's head, and in the second that passed before the inevitable, the enemy looked into Parker's green eyes.

He pulled the trigger and the Afghan went down, clutching his face. This was immediately followed by bursts of fire from Cooper. Everything fell ominously silent. Cooper came by and said, "Nice work." He kicked the door in which was next to Marino, and fired. Parker and Marino ran in and fired, killing two OpFor soldiers who had attempted to flee.

"Where's Alexander and Cooper?" Parker asked Marino. "Cooper went back to be rearguard. Alexander is radioing in for snipers and explosives to be dropped in. Oh yeah, and Medics." It was then Parker realized Marino was a woman, as she took her sunglasses off. "Targets right!" she said.

Parker dropped, grabbing an M16, and fired. Two more OpFor soldiers dead. The two Marines avoided the centre of the courtyard and the ground floor of the building they had sniped from. They walked down a narrow street to meet Lance Corporal Azzopardi. "Get ready to cover fire." Azzopardi said.

They ran around the corner, firing down the street. Two OpFors dropped from a balcony and hit the hot, uneven tarmac of the street. Azzopardi, Italian by his accent, turned and said "We've got a sniper around the corner. Check your TBS for a possible snipe position."

"Lance Corporal, I left a sergeant back there." "Don't worry. Worry about us!" A Lance Corporal from down the street yelled. He was a Spaniard by the name of Bermudes. "Budd, stay out of the goddamn alley! We got Parker here." Bermudes said to another Marine. That's when Parker recognized Bermudez and Budd. But there was very little time to reminisce.

Parker climbed through a window on his left and ascended the stairs. He saw an Afghan crouched by hanging carpets, and fired his Desert Eagle twice. The Afghan fell dead backwards into the carpet, pulling it down. The line it was on snapped and whipped another hostile across the face. Azzopardi shot him as he got back up, and then said, "Marino is with reinforcements. We lost a Humvee near here, so we got to keep pressing forward, capisce?"

Parker crawled outside onto the roof slowly, adrenaline surging through his veins. A bullet whizzed overhead and he tried to work out which window it had come from. The ceiling creaked beneath him. He saw the end of a Dragunov protruding from the window furthest away from him, and he got up into a crouch.

"Azzopardi." he whispered. "You got flashbangs?" Azzopardi pulled one from his belt and slung it across the floor, pin out. Parker picked it up and threw it through the open window, and then waited. _Pop. __  
_

He got up then as the ceiling collapsed, and fired on the run. Bullets chipped the wall around the window, and went through the window itself. He slid down a pile of debris and landed at Budd's feet. "Hey, Zach." he said, quite amused. "Buddy, where have you been?" Parker said, smiling. "Around." Budd said, and they embraced.

"Come on." Budd said, kicking a door open. A shot tore into his arm, but he stayed upright and returned fire. Bermudez smashed the window and opened fire with his Carbine. Parker ran in, passed bodies, and down darkened corridors.

He finally emerged into the sunlight, tired and full of dust. "Targets front, targets front!" Bermudez yelled from his right. Parker ran for the emplacement, checking the ammo, and opened fire at the group of OpFor in front of him. The car windows shattered and the tires collapsed. Empty bullet casings bounced along the floor.

He fired until none were left standing, motioned for Bermudez and Budd to follow, and then Bermudez took point. They walked down a long corridor. "Humvee ain't far from here." Budd said, looking over his shoulder every now and then. No sooner had he finished when the ceiling collapsed and that was the last Parker ever saw of Budd.

"C'mon, move!" Bermudez said, and they entered into the room where Private O'Neal was waiting. Parker looked left and saw Private Niesner and Private Olivera. Olivera also spoke with a Spanish accent. "Our Humvee has been destroyed by enemy units to the north. We need to sweep through the buildings, flank their position." Parker nodded, agreeing to the strategy.

Niesner and Bermudez took cover behind a car outside and unleashed hell via Mac-10's. Parker followed Olivera into a building, and OpFor opened fire on them. Olivera swore audibly, while Parker kept his calm. Parker had to reload, and Olivera took two more hostiles out.

They ran across into a hall into another corridor, where an Afghan slung a grenade at them. Olivera picked it up and threw it back at its thrower. The enemy disappeared in a cloud of debris, smoke and rubble. Olivera got up and walked outside. "Our captain's dead. Helo's inbound, we've done it." Parker lowered his M16, and looked down the street to see Bermudes, Azzopardi, Marino and Niesner. Dust sprang up as a Blackhawk hovered over them.

Their objectives were completed.


	4. Hard Impact

_Afghanistan, 11:00AM_

Parker had learned that British Forces, specifically the SAS, had been chasing a rogue device. They had also been looking for a Russian sleeper operative known as 'The Bagman', or better known as Ivan Petrovich.

However, in their operative area, chaos had continued. Several Blackhawks had been sent over the city to take out the highway, several gas stations, and enemy emplacements. As they had passed over the centre of the city, an RPG had taken out one Blackhawk and it had crash-landed somewhere near a mall. The Marines were still alive and under heavy fire.

Parker and a small team were being sent in to rescue the crew of the downed Blackhawk. The demise of Lance Corporal Budd had been on his mind a lot the recent days, but he pushed these thoughts down deep inside, realizing he had a new purpose.

* * *

M16 shots echoed around the dusty streets. Parker was briefed by Sergeant Willis. "Hawk 2 went down approximately 5 klicks northwest of our current position. Our objective is to extract the crew safely." Willis noticed Afghans on the roof and so raised his assault to take them out.

Sergeant Wang was reloading, and he threw another clip to Willis, who caught in and slammed it into his M16. "I got movement on the rooftops!" Willis yelled. A car exploded nearby as bullets pierced its engine. Parker was detailed to flank the emplacement.

MG shots rang out. Parker located a side alley and ran down it, knocking hanging tapestries and fabric out of the way. "Man down!" yelled Wang. _Willis._

He looked around the corner to see Colonel Lee firing at an OpFor soldier on the roof, dressed in a turban and mask. The Afghan fell, screaming. Lee ran and took cover behind a bin, muttering as he reloaded. Parker pumped two rounds into an Afghan's head.

Silence took over and Parker lowered his assault rifle. He saw there was a bin on fire down the street. He heard dogs barking ferociously a couple of streets away. Far off, further away, the sound of 40 millimetre shells could be heard, slamming into brick. Mortars returned fire.

An Afghan unexpectedly jumped out and Parker whipped his Desert Eagle out and shot the OpFor through the head. The body fell against the wall and painted a mural of red over it. He continued down the street, leaving Lee to evacuate the rest of the buildings.

He ducked into a building and took up position beside Colonel Dyke. He wondered at how an offer was also fighting in these streets. The door came down to their left and Dyke killed two OpFor soldiers. They then ascended the stairs and killed several in the labyrinth of rooms.

Parker cautiously ventured around a corner; the room in front of him was dark. Dyke was somewhere near the stairwell behind him. And then, an Afghan seized hold of his gun. Parker nearly fell, but got back on balance.

The two men wrestled for control of the weapon. They were breathing heavily in the heat and heaviness of the room. Parker had a feeling in his arms and stomach than could not be shaken, and a headache that clouded his thought and vision. _You're like a god damned itch. _He looked into the eyes of his assailant, the only thing he could see.

Colonel Dyke must have noticed, but he couldn't intervene. The muscles in Parker's arms strained, his vision reddening. Sweat dripped down the other soldier's forearms. Parker's strength was waning quickly. He exhaled and prepared to let go.

The Afghan slipped on a fallen propaganda poster and Parker regained full control of the M16. He swung the rifle at the OpFor's face, hearing the neck crack. Parker was breathing heavily. Dyke had gone onto the roof.

Parker ran around the corner of a corridor in time to hear Private Campbell yell, "RPG!" a rocket hit the wall down the corridor from Parker. His vision went white and he stumbled and dropped the M16. He did not even hear it hit the floor.

He was deafened. His vision began clearing in time to see the beige tiled floor rushing up to meet him. He could hear a muted explosion from all around. He felt the cold stone jar his hair and helmet.

Parker slowly got back up, dazed and disorientation. His hearing was re-adjusting.

M16 rounds. Explosions. A grenade clinking. Campbell's cold, clipped voice. "Movement, on the second floor!"

Parker picked up his M16 and ran outside, pulling the trigger in an attempt to clear his head. He forward rolled into an open alley and looked up, where an emplacement lay. He took the stairs up, sneaked up on the gunner and smashed him in the back of the head. The gunner fell dead at his feet. The caustic feeling in his stomach had receded, but not gone entirely.

He looked out and saw on the street a wounded Marine, under fire from three OpFor who were intent on killing him. Windows shattered and the car alarm went off. Parker leaned his assault rifle against the wall and got on the emplacement, noting there wasn't a lot of ammo left.

Silence, as the Afghan terrorists reloaded. One of them shouted to another in Arabic, and he picked up 'explosives'. The air rushed up into his ears and he almost unconsciously pulled the trigger.

The recoil jarred his arms and shells bounced along the floor, spent. One Afghan went down as he raised his AK-47 to fire at Private Campbell, who had emerged. Campbell slid on his back and fired M16 rounds at the OpFor who had grenades. The OpFor drew back, clutching his upper leg. The wounded Marine had got up and was firing USP.45 bullets at the leading OpFor.

The Afghan with grenades fell from Parker's onslaught, and the lead OpFor made a run for it. He was caught by shots from Campbell. Finally, the emplacement fell silent, and Parker joined Campbell and the wounded Marine in the street below.

The injured Marine's name and rank was Lance Corporal Burnett. Campbell stood guard at the end of the street, close to where the emplacement had been. The area was clear for now. "Was there anyone else with you?" Parker asked. Burnett shook his head. He heard another Marine mutter "Damn it." nearby, and looked up. Campbell was walking over.

Parker breached the wall and ran into an alley, leading out onto the road. Everything was unclear; Parker didn't even know where he was going. He was about to sprint into another alley when Sergeant Sears stepped out and stopped him abruptly. "What the hell you tryin' to do, soldier? Get yourself killed? We've got a group of snipers pinning us down here. I sent Private Weckman to flush them out earlier, but I haven't heard from him since. Head into that apartment block to your left and find Private Weckman. We'll lay down suppression fire but don't stick your head out. Get in, get out, and stay low."

He heard M16 and M4 fire and realized that was his cue to run. He sprinted past Sergeant Sears and Private Coyle into the designated building. He wondered, as he entered the shade, if he would ever see Sears or Coyle again. He knew he had to find Weckman quickly.

He looked around for a set of stairs, found them and climbed them. He appeared at the end of a corridor and saw an injured Marine who he assumed to be Weckman. "I've been hit. They got me in the arm. There's three snipers in the buildings across, stopping us from moving up and extracting the crew from the downed Helo. Take my rifle there, I'll watch your six." Weckman said.

He picked up the Dragunov, laying his assault rifle against the wall. He realized the gun was nearly spent anyway. He crawled into a room with a single window, and camped.

He squinted through the scope of Weckman's rifle and sized up the opposition. Weckman had been right; there were three OpFor snipers, also armed with Dragunovs. The first was laying down on a rooftop, reloading. Parker pulled the trigger and the Afghan sniper slumped.

The second sniper was on a balcony, taking shots. Parker let his vision focus, and he swore he could hear the heartbeat of the person he was about to kill. He pulled the trigger, but the shot had been wide and it had caught the sniper in the trigger hand. The OpFor sniper dropped his now unusable rifle over the railings and clutched his hand. Blood oozed out of the massive wound; Parker had nearly taken the sniper's hand off.

As he was about to pull the trigger again, M4 rounds ripped into the sniper and he fell over the railings. The third must have taken notice of Parker, for shots were now arching overhead. He drew back behind a cabinet, and raised the rifle once more. One more shot left.

He slowly zoomed in on the last sniper's forehead, his face a mixture of concentration and coldness. The crosshair was directly on the OpFor's sniper's face when he pulled the trigger. The sniper fell dead and an explosion rocked the building. Below, Coyle and Sears were still alive.

He got up from his uncomfortable position and saw Weckman loading a USP.45 casually. As he walked towards the stairs, beckoning Weckman to follow, he saw it was blocked by debris. He motioned for Weckman to stop, remembering the explosion just a few minutes ago.

Weckman sighed, slinging his rifle painfully over his shoulder, and waited as Parker looked around for another way out. The German-American had a lot on his mind. He looked up as he heard a voice yelling "RPG!RPG!" and then he paused. There was a long moment of silence between the two Marines, before the wall imploded in white.

* * *

Parker's eyes opened and bright sunlight threatened to cut his vision to pieces. He saw Weckman was gone, and froze, wondering at the sniper's disappearance. A pillar of black smoke rose from the building across the street, and he noted the wall behind him was nearly nonexistent. The room he had used to snipe from was gone.

He climbed down, dropping onto the dusty road, and nodded to Coyle and Sears. "Where to now, sergeant?" Parker asked. "At the end of the street. Did you get Weckman?" Sears asked. "Man, I don't know. Didn't you see him leave?" Parker said, distressed.

He instantly calmed, and listened to Sears' brief. There was a building at the end of the street which looked onto the courtyard with the down Hi-Lo. It was surrounded by hostiles, a glass roof as its ceiling. Parker was briefed by Sears of the plan, and then he and Coyle sprinted down the street to the objective building. The sun was setting and the sky reminded Parker of Wisconsin.

They both stopped outside the objective building as Sears called in air support. Parker kicked in the door and Coyle ran in, finger on the trigger of the M4. Two enemies fell dead, but a third on the stairs raised his AK-47. Parker had entered, raising his gun, and everything seemed to play in slow-motion.

One bullet punched through the Afghan OpFor, sending him stumbling. As he did, he pulled the trigger and several bullets tore into Coyle's throat. His grip became dead, letting the M4 clatter to the floor slowly. Parker started to say "NO-" and pressed down on his trigger, holding the assault rifle one-handed.

The OpFor took another bullet, to the knee. He began falling slowly, AK still expelling bullets. But they swung wide of Coyle, who had begun falling, clutching his throat. Blood drained over his desert camouflage body armour and webbing.

One more shot from Parker took the Afghan in the head, painting a bloody mural on wall of the stairs. Time returned to normal and Parker heard the thump as the OpFor fell back into the wall. He ran over to Coyle, who was already dead. He was numb; he could not feel a thing. "Sears, I've lost Coyle." he said, his voice sounding cracked and dry in the silence.

There was a pause, and he heard Sears breathe 'shit'. "Continue to the emplacement upstairs. Cover our boys." Parker didn't reply, he just ran up the stairs and went to the emplacement.

Outside he saw a courtyard and the downed Helo. Smoke was still rising from it and he saw a wounded Marine outside with a Carbine. He then saw a Marine that looked familiar, taking cover behind the chopper itself, and another Marine on the chopper's minigun. The Blackhawk itself was battered and damaged from its crash-landing.

It had slid across the tarmac through the western wall of the courtyard, snapping two rotors, the landing gear, and battering the cockpit. Parker got on the emplacement and suddenly opened fire, taking down several insurgents. The glass roof shattered and SAS soldiers came down on ropes, firing MP5 Sub-machine guns.

As the last Afghan fell, Parker got up slowly, and looked into the courtyard. The members of the downed Hi-Lo had survived, and among them Parker saw Bermudes.


	5. Dead In Ten

_14:00, Chernobyl, Ukraine._

Parker pulled his hand away from his arm to see it was slick with his own blood. Sergeant Reid of the SAS ran past, towards the Humvee on the left. The air in the motor pool was cold and it clung to his clothes. Reid got into the Humvee as the gunner, keeping the suitcase right by him.

Parker jumped into the Humvee with Ackrich. Reid then stood down and Staff Sergeant Dempsey took over as gunner. "We've got to keep the nuke of the enemy's hands at all costs. We'll be rigging the suitcase with detonators if things go bad...but it's your job to make sure that doesn't happen." Dempsey said in a clipped tone.

The shutters began opening, an SAS soldier standing at the control pad. The SAS operatives were clad all in black with black gas-masks, and Parker wondered why his superiors had not issued them with masks. Chernobyl was a dangerous residence, under a pall of radiation after the accident in 1986.

They had located Petrovich and extracted information from him, but the first base had proved to have been little more than a dupe. However, they had found documents there, leading them right to Chernobyl. US Forces had been sent in by helicopter, while the SAS had gone in from the rivers, infiltrating their way into the heart of the buildings.

"Enemy vehicles inbound!" Dempsey yelled. They drove out in single file, Dempsey and Reid taking the lead. Ultra-Nationalists were coming from the right, and Dempsey cut them down with the roof-mounted minigun. The enemy were speaking to each other in Russian, dressed in balaclavas and grey camouflage.

They continued down a sound road. On their left they saw a deep dammed valley with a thick evergreen forest on the other side. To their right were buildings.

It was not long before Parker looked over his shoulder and noticed a truck. The windows were tinted and Parker struggled to see the driver. He wondered at who it could be, knowing civillians worked in the area also. Ackrich noticed too, and he told the driver, Lance Corporal Hayduk, to speed up.

The truck also seemed to increase speed, and Parker tensed, grip tightening on the minigun. Ackrich shifted his Carbine, but didn't move anymore. His eyes were still on the mirror. The truck drew level and at first Parker thought it was empty. It looked like a completely normal transport truck, but the side windows were also tinted.

Three Russian Ultra-Nationalists sprung up with AK-47's sprung up and opened fire, shots ricocheting off the armour with bright sparks. Parker, caught by surprise, swung the MG around and fired. The shots ripped through two of the three Russians sickeningly and one body fell over the tailgate, being left on the open road.

The last insurgent jumped from the truck across the gap onto the Humvee. Hayduk kicked the door opened, but the Russian regained his composure, and climbed onto the roof, pulling out a UZI and aiming it directly at Parker. Parker swung the barrel of the MG around, knocking the insurgent's legs from under him.

The hostile still hung onto the edge of the Humvee. "The Brit's Humvee is coming up!" Hayduk said back. The insurgent suddenly let go and fell under the wheels of the truck, and Parker looked away, eyes closing. The truck seemed to lose control and slide down the embankment, smashing into an conifer heavily.

Parker's gaze rested on the other Humvee and they came level. Shots ripped through Dempsey and he grunted with the impact. Ackrich was the one who fired his Carbine at the insurgent who had fired. The Ultra-Nationalist fell from the roof. "Get us closer!" yelled Parker.

A group of grey Humvees pulled out and one slammed into the back of Parker's Humvee. Reid put his foot down and the Humvee containing the nuke sped forward, out of reach of the ambush. Parker tried to pull his MG around to defend, but the lock was jammed. The Humvee slammed into them again, and opened fire.

Parker's Humvee crashed through a wooden fence and up over a mound, and Parker could only watch as the enemy Humvee's pursued Reid's vehicle. The Humvee turned on its side on the mound, and fell nearly silent, a wheel still spinning.

They had stopped near an old warehouse, Parker noted as he jumped out of the crippled vehicle. A second later, Private Ackrich also pulled himself out of the wreckage, but paused to look back into the vehicle. Finally, he shook his head, and Parker realized that Hayduk had been hit by the shots earlier.

Ackrich was in a bitter mood as he jumped down and pulled a clip from his belt, slamming it into his Carbine. He produced the VHF radio he had been issued, and flicked through the channels before finding the correct one. The accent he spoke in sounded more English or Scandinavian with a hint of American. "Delta 21, we've been hit." He said.

A pause. "Bravo 1. Find another vehicle, we won't be able to hold them off without your backup." Reid said from the other end. Judging by the sounds of gunfire, Parker guessed not only support had come, but a group of insurgents. "Roger. Out." Ackrich said, putting the VHF radio away.

He walked up to the door to the warehouse, and kicked it open, charging in and rolling across the ground behind crates. "Clear." He said, and Parker took the lead. They made it outside, through narrow alleys filled with crates. However, as they got outside into a courtyard, Parker noticed a Russian standing in a window with a UZI.

Ackrich noticed, and ran for cover. Everything played out in slow-motion again. In his head, Parker heard a strange, distorted track playing. He raised his M16A1 and opened fire.

The Russian who had stood at the window was gone, but several hostiles were coming out of the warehouse doors on the other side. They were shouting to each other in their native language, and then they ducked into cover. That moment, Ackrich jumped out and pulled the trigger.

One insurgent fell with several chest wounds, and another who had been just about to fire ducked into cover. Parker jumped out and pulled the trigger, shots shattering the windows above him. Glass rained down and he too had to find better cover. Ackrich was reloading insanely quick.

Parker rose again and fired, shooting an insurgent in the head. The insurgent fell dead against a pillar of barrels, sending them rolling ominously toward an up-railed train track. It was then Parker realized they were in a train yard. The last insurgent rose, and Parker and Ackrich fired simultaneously.

* * *

The sounds of gunfire echoed and glass shattered. A minute later the assault rifles fell silent and the bloodied Russian fell forward through the double doors. Silence.

Two US Marines charged in and the Ultra-Nationalists fired, tiles falling from the walls. A grenade clink clink clinked across the cold ground and exploded, but the explosion was deafened by the sound of gunfire.

Parker jumped out with his M9 Beretta and pulled the trigger. An Ultra-Nationalist clutched his throat and fell flat. Ackrich raised his range of fire and two insurgents fell over the railings from the catwalks. The last insurgent was taken out with a grenade.

Ackrich lowered his smoking Carbine and started rolling up the shutters with the winch. Parker reloaded and prepared himself for whatever was outside. First, he saw the dusty floor, and the bottoms of crates. He saw buildings of several shapes and sizes, all grey, beige and cold. The shutter came to a stop and they both looked outside.

The train yard they had entered seemed devoid of life. Ackrich, who had braced for action, relaxed. He looked across the expanse of train tracks and massive crates, and saw what he believed was a closed motor pool on the other side. His radio crackled with static and indistinct chatter. "That's it." He said.

Parker let out a breath. He realized that the enemy must have been called back. But something still was not right. Just then, he saw a figure running across the roof of an abandoned train. He thought it was a mirage cast by the winter sun and the grey skies. But then he saw it for what it really was as he squinted, but before he could speak, a shot rang out and Ackrich fell, clutching his arm.

"I'm good, I'm good." Ackrich said, taking his hand away from his arm. It was thick with blood from the Dragunov wound. He glared through a slat at the sniper who had taken position on the train. He heard mortar fire elsewhere.

Parker had ducked back into cover, hearing Dragunov shots landing on the other side of the wall he rested against. He heard glass cracking dangerously close. Silence. Another shot, and the glass shattered, nearly deafening him. _They didn't have time for this._

Parker made motions, silently communicating with Ackrich. Ackrich nodded, understanding. Parker sprinted across the opening, and he heard shot after shot from the sniper as he frantically tried to bring the Marine down. He transferred his M16 from left to right and began firing one-handed.

Ackrich jumped out and opened fire with his Carbine. Every footfall made Parker exhale painfully. He jumped into cover and reloaded as Ackrich ceased fire. They heard no more gunfire, and so Ackrich looked out.

His keen eyesight picked up a standing figure on the train. A few seconds passed and the figure fell with a muted thump. Parker got up and said, "Let's go." They sprinted across the now empty courtyard. Parker went up to the keypad and started hacking it, opening it with override codes.

Ackrich noted movement and whipped around, firing. Three insurgents fell dead. They both entered the motor pool and Ackrich climbed in as driver, putting the Carbine in the right passenger seat. Parker climbed up onto the gunning position, feeling the Humvee shift as the ignition was switched on.

They left the motor pool and Ackrich said, "Hold steady." Parker saw a wooden gate coming up and felt the impact as it shattered. Ackrich brought the Humvee around in a tight turn and an insurgent who had stepped out of a building jumped back in, startled as the Humvee nearly ran his feet over.

"Follow the train track!" Parker yelled. Ackrich turned and ran parallel to the train track on their right. Ackrich drove and spoke into the radio. "Delta 21, we have found a vehicle and are en route. Stand by." Ackrich waited for a reply but got none. He exhaled and put the radio on the dashboard.

Parker's eyes drifted down towards the rearview mirror. He saw a train advancing along the tracks at a furious pace behind them, gaining. He refused to make the mistake as he had before, and so he swung the MG around. Sparks were coming from the rails beneath the train.

One carriage after another past, but nothing out of the ordinary transgressed. Out of the corner of his eye, Parker saw a flicker, and he flung the barrel of the MG around as a door opened. An insurgent fell forward with the motion of the train, attempting to get good aim. Parker fired and the insurgent dropped to his back, clutching his chest. He saw the AK-47 skitter onto the tracks.

Another Russian tried to help his fallen ally, but Parker fired, making the insurgent retreat. The train sped on and Ackrich took a side rode. "We have hostiles on our six!" He said, seeing Humvee's start their pursuit. "We're coming up to Delta 21's position." Ackrich said calmly. How he remained so was beyond Parker's knowing; the soldier had expansive patience.

They turned a corner in the forest to see a bridge ahead. He heard gunfire and saw an overturned allied Humvee. Parker heard an engine revving and half-turned to suddenly feel a jarring impact as an enemy vehicle rammed into the back of their Humvee. Ackrich cursed as he heard the engines begin to stall and the vehicle began its out of control spin across the bridge.

The tires screeched and he felt the vehicle jolt as something broke underneath and they hit rubble. Ackrich grabbed his Carbine and jumped out, Parker following. He looked behind him across the vehicle to see enemy vehicles pulling up. "The bridge, it's giving up!" Ackrich yelled.

Parker saw cracks widening beneath his feet and turned and began to run.

Ackrich was in front of him, Carbine slung over his back. In front of Ackrich, the bridge seemed to extend forever.

A helicopter descended in the distance, slashing the tops of coniferous trees. One of the rotors snapped and the body of the helicopter seemed to tilt unpredictably. A tree shifted and began to fall, through the black smoke that came from the helicopter's engines. The body of the helicopter seemed to wilt as the massive tree went into it, and it fell out of the sky. Parker saw every detail vividly and sharply.

He heard enemy fire behind him and the glass of the Humvee shattering. Deafening that sound was the foundations of the bridge underneath, shattering. He looked up at the blurred sun and saw US Blackhawks fly overhead, Miniguns thundering. An RPG rocket found its target and hit, sending one of the Blackhawks into an orb of explosion.

Parker looked over his shoulder again to see the entire bridge collapsing behind him, pieces falling slowly into the deep valley below. Cracks ran after him, following without an end. The gunfire had stopped, and the sound of cracking masonry filled his ears.

Parker turned back around to see a wounded SAS operative lying with his back to an overturned Humvee. Parker jumped as the last piece of bridge fell, and went to the soldier's side. He noticed it was Reid. Reid was conscious, but wounded in the chest and shoulder. Parker realized the soldier was quickly bleeding out. In Reid's hand was the suitcase with the device. "Where is this extraction?" Parker yelled.

Ackrich looked over his shoulder. "We have hostiles incoming!" Parker looked over the Humvee, seeing two trucks pull up. All he could hear was the sound of gunfire from the valley below and engines stalling. Russian soldiers jumped out of the trucks and took up defensive positions, armed with ARX-160 assault rifles.

Parker dived for cover behind fallen rubble, and then opened fire. One soldier fell under fire from Ackrich. Behind the two Marines, Reid pulled out his M9 and fired a few driver of one truck fell dead out of his vehicle. Parker threw his useless assault rifle to the floor and pulled out a Desert Eagle, opening fire.

Ackrich had the finger pressed down on the trigger of his Carbine. A Russian ran forward as Parker reloaded, and Ackrich swung his assault rifle like a hockey club, taking the soldier down. A shadow caught Parker's eye and he turned to see a Blackhawk inbound. Turning back to where the soldier's were retreating, he saw one holding an RPG, trying to get into position.

Parker raised his Desert Eagle, and aimed down the sights. The Russian was raising the RPG onto his shoulder with some difficulty. Parker pulled the trigger, but the weapon clicked useless.

The Russian was aiming down the sights as the Blackhawk hovered overhead. Ackrich had left his position to help Reid up and retrieve the device. Parker clicked the safety catch off, knowing they would be dead if the Russian pulled the trigger first.

Seconds passed. The Russian's finger went to the trigger. Parker mirrored his enemy. Everything went silent. Parker felt deathly cold under his uniform.

Parker pulled the trigger and the shot tore into the Russian soldier's hand. The soldier dropped the RPG in agony and swore. He seized an AK and got up with it, aiming it at Parker. Parker pulled the trigger again, but no shot rang out. Even though he knew he was not alone, it was just him and that Russian on the shattered bridge.

They were standing a few feet apart; Parker weaponless, the Russian holding the AK at his side, one-handed. Any sign of pain earlier had dissipated. Parker looked into the cold dark brown eyes of the soldier, who looked back at him silently. The Russian raised the weapon, and aimed at Parker's head. The marine did not move.

Parker jumped as shots rang out, and all he saw was black.

He realized he had closed his eyes, and as he opened them, he saw the Russian fall dead to the floor. Turning, Parker saw Ackrich, holding the Carbine. The other Marine lowered it. "Our way out is here. The mission is over."

From the helicopter, Parker saw the full extent of the damage the device had caused. The wreckage of several vehicles and a Blackhawk lay at the bottom of the steep-sided valley. Several burning vehicles still remained on the remnants of the bridge. Part of the forest was aflame. The bridge seemed to drift away, but in Parker's mind, it remained.


End file.
